Tuesday, January 13

HEALTH

The Power Of Chicken Soup: How It Can Help You
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NUTRITION

The Power Of Chicken Soup: How It Can Help You

Does chicken soup really help when you’re sick? A nutrition specialist explains what’s behind the beloved comfort food. Preparing a bowl of chicken soup for a loved one when they’re sick has been a common practice throughout the world for centuries. Today, generations from virtually every culture swear to the benefits of chicken soup. In the U.S., the dish is typically made with noodles, but different cultures prepare the soothing remedy their own way. Chicken soup as a therapy can be traced back to 60 A.D. and Pedanius Dioscorides, an army surgeon who served under the Roman emperor Nero, and whose five-volume medical encyclopedia was consulted by early healers for more than a millennium. But the origins of chicken soup go back thousands of years earlier, to ancient China. So, with cold a...
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Students In This Course Take A Close Look At Addiction
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MENTAL HEALTH

Students In This Course Take A Close Look At Addiction

To better understand addiction, students in this course take a close look at liquor in literature. Title of course: Alcohol in American Literature What prompted the idea for the course? I got the idea for the course when I was writing a chapter on the temperance movement in American literature for my doctoral dissertation. I ended up reading a lot of fiction and poetry about alcohol and the anti-alcohol movement. I thought it would be fun to teach a class that surveyed American literature through a booze-themed lens. Since alcohol affects and disables people regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity or class, it is easy to find literature about the impact of alcohol from many points of view. What does the course explore? I pair my course with a medical doctor who teaches...
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Hooked On Social Media
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MENTAL HEALTH

Hooked On Social Media

41 US states are suing Meta for getting teens hooked on social media. Here’s what to expect next. In the United States, 41 states have filed lawsuits against Meta for allegedly driving social media addiction in its young users (under the age of 18), amid growing concerns about the negative effects of platforms. The lawsuits allege Meta has been harvesting young users’ data, deploying features to promote compulsive use of both Facebook and Instagram, and misleading the public about the negative effects of these features. What might we expect to happen next? And are there potential consequences for Australia? Leveraging whistleblower revelations The most significant suit, filed in a federal court in California, involves 33 states. The claim is based on breaches of state consumer protection ...
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What The Heck Is Navel-Gazing?
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MENTAL HEALTH

What The Heck Is Navel-Gazing?

Think therapy is navel-gazing? Think again. Midway through a recent lecture about my psychology research, a bright graduate student voiced a familiar question. “I have heard psychotherapy makes people more self-absorbed,” they said. “So how can you encourage a practice that has such a negative social impact?” I am often struck by these negative stereotypes, despite growing demand for counseling – particularly amid the pandemic. The well-entrenched image seems to be that psychotherapy is an indulgent, narcissistic cocoon where therapists enable patients to “navel-gaze” and blame others for their problems. Full disclosure: I have seen examples of this during my 27 years in practice. But most patients are genuinely trying to improve close relationships, recover a sense of meaning and purpose ...
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Are You Addicted To Social Media? Here Are 7 Tell Tale Signs
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MENTAL HEALTH

Are You Addicted To Social Media? Here Are 7 Tell Tale Signs

Social media anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that is similar to social anxiety disorder. Before he committed suicide in June, 29-year-old YouTube star and model Desmond Amofah, also known as Etika, filmed himself offering insight on the effects of social media. One comment he made was shared widely after his death: “It can give you an image of what you want your life to be and get blown completely out of proportion. It consumed me.” Health professionals are taking notice. The Anxiety and Depression Association of America asserted in November: “Social media anxiety disorder is a mental health condition that is similar to social anxiety disorder.” Facebook turned 15 this year, and its launch spurred a host of other social media avenues: Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, etc. Marke...
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A Black Clinical Psychologist Explains And Offers 5 Ways To Heal From The Profound Mental Health Consequence Of Racial Trauma
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MENTAL HEALTH

A Black Clinical Psychologist Explains And Offers 5 Ways To Heal From The Profound Mental Health Consequence Of Racial Trauma

Racial trauma has profound mental health consequence – a Black clinical psychologist explains and offers 5 ways to heal. Since European expansion into the Americas, white people have demonized Black people and portrayed them as undesirable, violent and hypersexual. Originally, the intent of this demonization was to legitimize the conquest and sale of African people. One consequence of this negative portrayal has been the documented psychological impact on Black people themselves. It includes self-hatred, internalized racism and an erosion of Black consciousness within the Black community. During the 1960s, Martin Luther King Jr. recognized the consequences of racist stereotypes and tried to change the language and symbols of racism. “Somebody told a lie one day,” King said. “They couche...
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Shopping For A Bag Of Coffee Beans? It Might Be Time To Change Your Usual Beans And Buy Something More Ethical
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NUTRITION

Shopping For A Bag Of Coffee Beans? It Might Be Time To Change Your Usual Beans And Buy Something More Ethical

Lost in the coffee aisle? Navigating the complex buzzwords behind an ‘ethical’ bag of beans is easier said than done. You’re shopping for a bag of coffee beans at the grocery store. After reading about the effects of climate change and how little farmers make – typically $0.40 per cup – you figure it might be time to change your usual beans and buy something more ethical. Perusing the shelves in the coffee aisle, though, you see too many choices. First up is the red tub of Folgers “100% Colombian,” a kitchen staple – “lively with a roasted and rich finish.” On the side of the tub, you see the icon of Juan Valdez with his donkey, Conchita – a fictional mascot representing the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation. Next might be Starbucks “Single-Origin Colombia.” One side of the green bag t...
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Poll Sheds Light On Sexual Harassment Or Assault At Work The Place By Nearly Half Of Women With Disabilities
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SELF-CARE

Poll Sheds Light On Sexual Harassment Or Assault At Work The Place By Nearly Half Of Women With Disabilities

Almost half of women with disabilities have experienced sexual harassment or assault in the workplace, according to a new 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll that is one of the first to explore the issue. The number, 48 percent, compares to 32 percent of women without disabilities who reported experiencing sexual assault or harassment at work. While there is a growing body of research and reporting on the sexual violence faced by people with disabilities, little of it has delved into the workplace. Monika Mitra, director of the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University, said some describe sexual violence against people with disabilities “as a silent epidemic.” Mitra has done research on sexual violence against people with disabilities, but not in the workplace. To her knowled...
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Botanizing Is A Great Way To Engage With Life Around You, So Take A Break From Your Screen And Look At Plants
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SELF-CARE

Botanizing Is A Great Way To Engage With Life Around You, So Take A Break From Your Screen And Look At Plants

Take a break from your screen and look at plants − botanizing is a great way to engage with life around you. When you hear about the abundance of life on Earth, what do you picture? For many people, it’s animals – but awareness of plant diversity is growing rapidly. Our planet has nearly 300,000 species of flowering plants. Among animals, only beetles can compete with that number. There are more species of ferns than birds, more mints than mammals, and more beans than butterflies. Measured in total mass, plants make up 82% of all life on land across the globe. We are plant scientists and co-founders of Let’s Botanize, an educational nonprofit that uses plant life to teach about ecology, evolution and biodiversity. In the past several years we have witnessed a botanical boom, with partici...
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A Neuropharmacology Expert Explains How Cannabis Holds Promise For Pain Management, Reducing The Need For Opioid Painkillers
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SELF-CARE, VIDEO REELS

A Neuropharmacology Expert Explains How Cannabis Holds Promise For Pain Management, Reducing The Need For Opioid Painkillers

Cannabis holds promise for pain management, reducing the need for opioid painkillers – a neuropharmacology expert explains how. Drug overdose deaths from opioids continue to rise in the U.S. as a result of both the misuse of prescription opioids and the illicit drug market. But an interesting trend has developed: Opioid emergency room visits drop by nearly 8% and opioid prescriptions are modestly lower in states where marijuana is legalized. Marijuana is produced by the cannabis plant, which is native to Asia but is now grown throughout the world. Individuals use marijuana for both its psychoactive, euphoria-inducing properties and its ability to relieve pain. Chemicals produced by the cannabis plant are commonly known as cannabinoids. The two primary cannabinoids that occur naturally i...
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